Like a Walking Time Bomb
by maddster
Summary: The School of Rock is in need of a new vocalist when Tomika moves halfway across the country...but will they find one in a temperamental California blonde? Or will Freddy cause Alex to explode like the walking time bomb she is?
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own School of Rock or any of its characters, as much as I wish I did. I do, however, own Alex Callahan and her family.

**A/N:** I'm practically in LOVE with the movie School of Rock, so I got uber-excited when I was browsing and found such an alive fan community! Now, normally I HATE stories with original characters with a passion, but please, try to give this one a chance. I'm not exactly sure which direction I'm going to go with it, either, so suggestions are greatly appreciated. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

--------------------------------

"Lex, we're moving back to New York."

A few years ago - three, if you want a number - those 7 words were the ones I wanted to hear more than anything else. I would have given all my limbs to climb onto an airplane and fly halfway across the country and back to my hometown of the Big Apple. But trust me when I say be careful what you wish for - after three years, you might _really_ want to take back that wish.

I mean, I had finally gotten settled in San Diego. At age 10, I was told that my destiny lied close to Pebble Beach. Well, a few fights and screaming matches later, I shuffled onto my little "flight of destiny", longing for the state of Broadway and inevitable traffic.

Getting used to Cali was no joke. I went from prep academy to public school, and the first two years were as close to hell as I've experienced so far in my life. Drama, my attention-whore tendencies and California-bred bimbos don't mix well. In fact, it wasn't until I tried out for - and made - the cheerleading squad in 7th grade that California started to seem like home.

What happened to 7 being a "lucky" or "magic" number? 7 words, 7th grade, etc. Well, anyway, come early May, it was "back to New York for Alexandria Callahan!"

I would've had a repeat of refusals, if it wasn't for an extra variable or two. Christopher and Isabelle Callahan knew what would be coming their way, so they enlisted troops in the form of the Mooneyham family.

Ah, yes, the Mooneyhams - Aaron, Sarah, and their son, Zach. Zach was my best friend when I lived in New York - my partner-in-crime; the calm, sensible getaway driver to my insane, troublemaking bank robber. Well, those "sly" parentals of mine called the aforementioned family before telling me. Yes, I learned of the move soon before receiving an ecstatic, missing-and-can't-wait-to-see-you message from Zach on my cell phone. Oy.

Yeah, try to throw a fit when you have such an enthusiastic homecoming committee. It's not that easy, let me tell you. Well, I made an effort to ignore all the texts, voice-mail messages and IMs sent my way from NY, but all I accomplished in doing so was feeling like a bitch for shunning the guy I considered my best friend.

My San Diego friends whined constantly about how much they'd miss me. I was often reminded of how hard it would be to replace the squad's top flyer, and believe me, headaches formed from all the flat-out complaining. By the time we up and moved; I was practically pining for Zach's quiet peace vs. the chatter of the California cheerleaders.

Still, I had no idea of the "pleasures" I'd soon encounter. And after moving, I was more in the mood for a sleeping-pill-enhanced nap than the cheerful fourteen-year-old boy that awaited me. Apparently, my resting habits were of no concern to Zachary Mooneyham, who stood at the door to our house, grinning widely.

Alright, I'll admit it. I was in such an awful, cranky, jetlag-induced mood that I pushed right past Zach without so much as an indifferent "hi". I ran straight up to my room, slammed the door shut and plopped face-down onto my already-assembled bed. Groaning tiredly, I laid there until my ears picked up the whiny creak of the bedroom door. Seconds later, Zach's earnest-looking face peeked in, soon followed by the rest of his lanky frame.

"Alex?" he piped up in a voice much deeper than the one I'd left.

My own golden-blonde head popped up, complete with recently-instated platinum highlights - my parents' form of bribery and a guilt trip for moving. "Yeah," I stated lazily, barely lifting myself up. "Present and accounted for."

A small smile formed on Zach's lips. He reached up and closed the door with a gentle shove, very contrary to my owl loud, raucous-causing slam. "Or do you now go by something else? Alli? Lex? Dria? Alexia? AC?" he smirked, listing off possible nicknames and finishing with a flourish, teasing bow. "Alexandria?"

I scowled back at him, not very amused by the mention of my full name. Hey, you go around with a big, bulking name that just so happens to be an Egyptian city. "Don't even think about it, _Zachary_," I hissed back, more than irritated. "No one gets to call me that. Ever. For any reason. And yes, at my funeral, I expect to be referred to as Alex versus the lame name my idiot parents gave me."

I must have overdone the snapping-turtle-slash-wet-cat impersonation, because Zach's face completely fell and his gaze dropped straight to his feet. "R-right," he stuttered meekly. "Sorry, Alex."

Immediately, I felt awful. Good God, I'd almost ruined a friendship in my first two minutes back. Way to go, Callahan, I thought, mentally kicking myself. "Look, sorry, Zach," I apologized with a sigh, trying my best to sound somewhat timid or humble. "I'm just completely dead from that flight. I shouldn't have snapped, but you know me." Luckily, the whole humility thing worked like a charm. Zach's face peered up, this time with a small smile.

"Yeah," he started casually, unable to hide the forming grin of amusement. "I should've remembered how irritable you are." Normally, that would have merited a smack upside the head, but I was just too tired to move. I sat and rolled my eyes, not budging from my spot on the mattress.

"Wow," he added, looking slightly worried as he moved towards me. Placing a hand on my tanned forehead, he pretended to check my temperature. "No chase? No smack? Not even a snappy COMMENT? You MUST be exhausted. Or brainwashed. I warned you about those California types, Alex Callahan!"

And with a slight smile, I realized one thing - I, Alexandria Callahan, was back in New York City. And this time, I was here to stay.

-------------------------------------

**A/N:** There you go! Yeah, I hate the title too, but I couldn't think of a better one. P I should hopefully have my next chapter up soon, but because I'm recovering from a broken finger, I have no idea what "soon" means, exactly - second chapters are always the hardest for me, so cut me a little slack. ; Anyways, hope you all liked it! Reviews would rock my world.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own School of Rock or any of its characters, sadly. However, I do own Alex Callahan and her family.

**A/N:** First, shout-outs to my two reviewers!

**Lady of the Serpents:** thanks for reading!

**Endymion015:** first, I'd like to say THANK YOU for your honesty. It's refreshing to hear someone question something. And yeah, I agree; normally, OC's make me cringe. As for the Mary-Sue part, no worries, Alex won't be turning into one. Rather, she's her own contradiction, as you'll see. Because someone's a blonde ex-cheerleader doesn't make them as stereotypical as they may seem. (I myself am actually both) Thanks for both your encouragement and questions; they really got me motivated to update this fic.

Ok, now that all that's over with, onto the next chapter! Enjoy!

--------------------------

**CHAPTER TWO**

School has never been a strong point of mine; not in the slightest. I don't understand why you'd ever consider sending a child home with extra work after seven hours of learning - while some people, such as myself, almost explode after even two. Education's important and all, but I resent the fact that I have to succeed or my work doesn't amount up to anything.

Besides which, there's the social factor. To put it in perspective, it's not that I'm unsociable, it's that I have temper issues and often-times come up as snippy and indifferent. I've been told more than once that I'm 'impossible' or 'difficult' or even 'hard to get along with'. My first impressions tend to be on the harsh side, and if you don't like blunt people, don't bother trying to be my friend. I'll half-murder you within a day - or an hour, if I'm particularly irritable that day. Oh, and I tend to group people into stereotypes - which is actually quite pathetic, considering that I'm often stereotyped myself, being blonde and cheerlead-y and whatever else you might see in me at first.

Which was why I shouldn't have been surprised at everyone's reactions to me the next day. Looking back, I can't believe I got upset when anyone gave me a glance that questioned my intelligence or anything of the sort. But sometimes, there are people that go too far. There are line-crossers that just like to push the limits and edges of certain people they think would be amusing to blow up.

Apparently, Zach's best friend is one of those people.

The day had been going fine. Seriously - I woke up, pulled myself out of bed, got ready, blah blah blah. I even looked at myself in the mirror, obsessing over my beak-like nose and sharply-defined lips. Figuring that all was right in the world of Alex Callahan, I heaved my backpack onto my shoulders, grabbed a poptart and ran groggily towards my brother's car.

"WHILE WE'RE YOUNG, ALEX!" Nolan screamed, looking more than annoyed. If there's one thing my older brother hates more than anything else, it's being late - and as a junior in high school, he really can't afford it. But as a little sister and fourteen-year-old, I like to say that it's simply my duty to make him as close to being late as humanely possible. Besides, it's entertaining, most of the time.

"I'm here, don't blow a capillary," I retorted randomly, eyeing the steering wheel with a nervous glance. "Oh, and don't kill us on the way to school. Some people actually appreciate me. Though, I'm sure you have no idea what being appreciated is actually like." But, as usual, Nolan pretended to listen as he rolled his eyes and sped off towards my school - the first stop on his list of places to go.

Within thirty minutes, I was safely within the halls of Horace Green Preparatory. Looking around, I tried to memorize the place as best I could - before the move, I'd gone to some insanely far-away school that Nolan now refused to drive to. And because my parents were too lazy to argue with him, they sent me off to Horace Green - Zach's school.

Either way, I wandered through the place, looking for the one face I knew best. Sooner or later, I found it, and Zach led me to homeroom, looking quite amused as I glanced around curiously. "You know, it's not like something's going to jump out of a locker and attack you," he joked lamely, smirking.

"I'm choosing to ignore that pathetic excuse for a joke," I shot back, expression as blank as it had been two seconds ago. Holding his hands up in a defeated sort of way, Zach sighed and then reached for the door to the room itself, which was pretty plain for such an expensive school, if you asked me.

The teacher was either late or in the lounge, because the large desk at the front of the room was still empty. I stood by it, crossing my arms as I stared out at the students filling the room. I could see two short blonde girls talking animatedly about...wait, were they talking about Blondie? As in, the music?

Turning my focus to another part of the room, I glanced at a short girl with braces and a boy showing her a mini-mannequin. Call me crazy, but he looked pretty...well, queer, to be perfectly honest. Next to that couple was an Asian boy tapping his fingers on a desk. From the looks of it, he was practicing a rhythm or something of the sort.

And a second later, I pivoted slightly to find that Zach had ditched me for the largest group of all - a tall, pretty blonde girl; a brunette girl; a fairly large boy that looked like a football team's dream; and a good-looking blonde boy that sat in the center of them all, looking like he enjoyed the attention. The blonde boy grinned at Zach as he walked over, and the two bumped fists. I stood there, feeling very dejected. But not for long.

Less than a minute later, I found myself being beckoned over to the large group by a smiling Zach. Everyone else nodded politely as I positioned myself further away than my friend would have liked, from the somewhat-irritated expression on his face. "Alex," he said plainly, giving me the lightest of glares, "Stop being lame. Come over here." Zach looked back to the group, rolling his eyes. "Wow. No idea why she's being this way. Seriously, she normally couldn't shut up if her life depended on it..."

"I resent that," I protested with a slight scowl, inching closer to Zach's friends. Sadly, I couldn't think of much more to say. Why is it that words always elude me when I need them most?

"Sure you do," Zach replied simply, ignoring my expression. "This is Alex Callahan. Alex - meet Michelle, Katie, Frankie and Freddy." My friend nodded at each person, who seemed to perk up slightly at the mention of their names. The group muttered their greetings at me, with the exception of 'Freddy', whose handsome face wore a skeptical expression.

"So this is the girl I've been hearing about nonstop for the past few weeks?" he finally drawled, staring at me. I felt the lines of my scowl deepen with each of his cocky, self-assured words. "What's so special about _her_? Seems kinda antisocial, if you ask me."

Zach slapped a hand to his face, very aware of my next move. "Well, Freddy," I growled at him, feeling my hands grip my arms tighter and tighter, "If you'd known me for more than two seconds, maybe you'd figure it out." With slight hesitation, I mockingly reconsidered my words with a smirk. "Or maybe not. You don't look like much of a bright one, _if you ask me_. Then again, looks can be deceiving."

To my disappointment, he didn't seem pretty phased by my insult. Actually, amused would be a better term to describe it. With a shrug, he shook it off; almost as if he'd gave me a second chance for being the new girl. "Hopefully. Otherwise, looks like this school would be stuck with a blonde bitch."

Shit, was he just asking for me to explode? Probably, but I was too angry to read his expression or body language. I'd have more than likely started screaming at him, but before I could, the bell rang and Zach sprung up from his spot, quickly leading me to the furthest seat from where Freddy was. But not before I could hear the blonde's next smug words - "Oh, and Alex? Welcome to Horace Green."

--------------------------------------------

**A/N:** ehhh, not sure I like how that turned out. At all. But it feels good to get the second chapter out of the way; I'm horrible with them. So yeah, there you go. Such a nice girl, isn't she? ;)

Oh, and it took me a full hour to decide if the band would still be going to school at Horace Green...I could have sworn I heard the movie saying something about it being an elementary school, but when I took the time to look it up online, I just found info about it being a prep school in the movie. And prep schools tend to be elementary, middle AND high schools. So, yeah. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed it - and don't forget to review!


End file.
